Tape cutter and tape holder

ABSTRACT

A movable body linearly movable in the direction of the thickness of a pullout section of a roll, supported at a support section, is provided on the adhesive surface side of the pullout section. A blade body is provided on one side in the width direction of the pullout section such that the longitudinal direction of an edge is the thickness direction of the pullout section. One side in the longitudinal direction of the edge of the blade body is swingably supported, and a position displaced from the center of the swing of the blade body is connected to the movable body in an associated manner so that the blade body can swing, in association with linear movement of the movable body, from a position separated from the pullout section to the pullout section side.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2006/307556 filed Apr. 10, 2006, and claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-114007 filed Apr. 11, 2005, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. The International Application was published in Japanese on Oct. 19, 2006 as WO 2006/109766 A1 under PCT Article 21(2).

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a tape cutter having a blade body for cutting a pullout section of a roll of an adhesive tape and to a tape holder for holding the roll having an annular shape of the adhesive tape.

2. Description of Related Art

A tape holder for holding a roll of adhesive tape, such as cellophane tape, has a trapezoidal cone shape at the outer circumferential face thereof and has a rotation support shaft at the central section thereof. The tape holder is configured such that the tape holder is fitted from the smaller diameter side of the outer circumferential face thereof into the inside of the roll having an annular shape, thereby to hold the tape.

Furthermore, a tape cutter comprises a support section in which the rotation support shaft is fitted to support the tape holder and a blade body disposed upward at a position separated from the support section. The tape cutter is configured such that the pullout section of the roll is pulled in the pullout direction above the blade body, the pullout section is pushed against the blade body at an appropriate tape length position and pulled, whereby the pullout section can be cut (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-067807).

SUMMARY

However, in the conventional tape cutter, the blade body is exposed outside, and its sawtooth-shaped edge is directed upward. Hence, when the tape cutter is placed on a relatively small table or the like and used, there is a high risk of making contact with the blade body accidentally, and a measure for improvement has been demanded. In addition, since the outer circumferential face of the tape holder has a trapezoidal cone shape, even if rolls having different inside diameters are used, they can be fitted and held on the tape holder. However, the roll is likely to slide along the outer circumferential face of the tape holder, and there is a problem that the roll is likely to be detached from the tape holder.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and a main object is to provide a tape cutter comprising a movable body that can be moved by pulling the pullout section of a roll in a direction intersecting the pullout direction and a blade body that can be moved in association with the movement of the movable body, wherein the blade body can be disposed at a position in which the blade body is unexposed in a non-cutting state where the pullout section of the roll is not pulled, and in a cutting state, the blade body is moved by pulling the pullout section of the roll, whereby the blade body can perform linear cutting where the cutting line of the pullout section of the roll is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the tape.

Another object is to provide a tape cutter comprising a biasing spring for biasing the movable body or the blade body, whereby, after the pullout section of a roll is cut, the movable body and the blade body can be returned automatically in an associated manner to their non-cutting positions.

Still another object is to provide a tape cutter comprising the movable body being linearly movable and the blade body supported so as to be swingable, wherein a position displaced from the center of the swing of the blade body is connected to the movable body in an associated manner, whereby the length of the edge of the blade body can be made relatively short.

Yet still another object is to provide a tape cutter comprising the movable body being linearly movable on the adhesive surface side of the pullout section in the thickness direction of the pullout section and the blade body disposed on one side in the width direction of the pullout section such that the longitudinal direction of the edge is the thickness direction of the pullout section, wherein one side in the longitudinal direction of the edge is swingably supported, and a position displaced from the center of the swing of the blade body is connected to the movable body in an associated manner so that the blade body can swing in association with the retreat/return movement of the movable body from a position separated from the pullout section in a direction making contact with/separating from the pullout section, whereby the pullout section of the adhesive tape can be cut to an appropriate length by pulling the pullout section of the adhesive tape without operating the blade body.

A further object is to provide a tape cutter comprising an accommodation section for accommodating the blade body so as to hide the edge of the blade body, whereby the blade body can be hidden wholly.

A still further object is to provide a tape holder being fitted inside an annular roll, wherein the tape holder is in a pillar shape having contact sections to make contact with the inside of the roll at both ends and having a shaft section or a through hole at the central section, whereby the force for holding the roll can be raised regardless of the difference in the inside diameter of the roll.

A tape cutter according to a first aspect is characterized by a tape cutter having a support section for rotatably supporting a roll of an adhesive tape and a blade body for cutting a pullout section of said roll, characterized by comprising a movable body that is movable when an adhesive surface of said pullout section makes contact therewith and said pullout section is pulled in a direction intersecting a pullout direction, wherein said blade body is movable in association with the movement of said movable body.

In the first aspect, the movable body is moved by pulling the pullout section of the roll in a direction intersecting the pullout direction, and the blade body is moved in association with the movement of the movable body. Hence, the blade body can be unexposed in a non-cutting state where the pullout section of the roll is not pulled. In addition, in a cutting state, the movable body is moved by pulling the pullout section of the roll, and the blade body is moved in association with the movement of the movable body. As a result, the blade body can move and perform linear cutting where the cutting line of the pullout section of the roll is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the tape.

A tape cutter according to a second aspect is characterized by further comprising a biasing spring for biasing the movable body or the blade body in a direction where the movable body and the blade body return.

In the second aspect, when the pullout section of the roll is cut and the tension of the tape is not applied to the movable body, the movable body and the blade body can be returned automatically to their non-cutting positions in an associated manner.

A tape cutter according to a third aspect is characterized in that the movable body is linearly movable, that the blade body is swingably supported, and that a position displaced from the center of the swing of the blade body is connected to the movable body.

In the third aspect, the movable body is linearly moved and the blade body is swung by pulling the pullout section of the roll in a direction intersecting the pullout direction. Hence, the length of the edge of the blade body can be made relatively short.

A tape cutter according to a fourth aspect is characterized in that the movable body is linearly movable in the direction of the thickness of the pullout section on the adhesive surface side of the pullout section, that the blade body is disposed on one side in the width direction of the pullout section such that the longitudinal direction of an edge thereof is the thickness direction of the pullout section, that one side in the longitudinal direction of the edge is swingably supported, and that a position displaced from the center of the swing of the blade body is connected to the movable body so that the blade body swings in association with the retreat/return movement of the movable body from a position separated from the pullout section in a direction making contact with/separating from the pullout section.

In the fourth aspect, the blade body is swung from a position separated from the pullout section in a direction making contact with/separating from the pullout section by pulling the pullout section of the adhesive tape without operating the blade body, whereby the pullout section can be cut to an appropriate length.

A tape cutter according to a fifth aspect is characterized by further comprising an accommodation section for accommodating the blade body so as to hide the edge of the blade body.

In the fifth aspect, the blade body can be hidden wholly, and safety can be improved further.

A tape holder according to a sixth aspect is characterized by a tape holder being fitted inside an annular roll of an adhesive tape, characterized in that said tape holder is in a pillar shape having contact sections to make contact with the inside of said roll at both ends and having a shaft section or a through hole at the central section in the longitudinal direction.

In the sixth aspect, by holding the annular roll at two portions around the circumstance thereof by hand and by deforming the roll into a nearly elliptical shape, for example, the tape holder being in a pillar shape can be fitted on the major axis sides of the roll. When the force for holding the roll is released, the roll is restored to its original shape and held on the tape holder.

According to the first aspect, since the blade body can be unexposed in a non-cutting state where the pullout section of the roll is not pulled, the risk of making contact with the blade body accidentally can be eliminated. In addition, since the movable body and the blade body are moved by pulling the pullout section of the roll in a direction intersecting the pullout direction, the pullout section of the roll can be cut to an appropriate length. Furthermore, since the cutting is carried out by moving the blade body, the cut end of the tape can be made linear and substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the tape. As a result, the cut tape is pleasing in appearance. Moreover, when the tape is removed from the cut end, the tape can be removed easily without being torn.

According to the second aspect, after the pullout section of the roll is cut, the movable body and the blade body can be returned automatically to their non-cutting positions in an associated manner. Hence, the tape can be cut by simply pulling the pullout section of the roll.

According to the third aspect, since the movable body is moved and the blade body is swung by pulling the pullout section of the roll, the length of the edge of the blade body can be made relatively short.

According to the fourth aspect, the blade body is swung from a position separated from the pullout section in a direction making contact with/separating from the pullout section by pulling the pullout section of the adhesive tape without operating the blade body. Hence, the pullout section can be cut to an appropriate length.

According to the fifth aspect, the blade body can be hidden wholly, and safety can be improved further.

According to the sixth aspect, in a state where the annular roll is held by hand and deformed, the tape holder can be fitted inside the roll. Hence, the force for holding the roll can be raised regardless of the difference in the inside diameter of the roll, and the roll can be prevented from being detached from the tape holder.

The above and further objects and features will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description with accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a tape cutter according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the main section of the tape cutter according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the usage state of the tape cutter according to the present invention;

FIG. 4( a) is a perspective view showing the configuration of a tape holder according to the present invention, and FIG. 4( b) is a side view thereof;

FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b) are views illustrating how the tape holder according to the present invention is held in a roll, and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a tape holder according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will be described below in detail referring to the accompanying drawings showing an embodiment thereof. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a tape cutter according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the main section thereof; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the usage state thereof; FIG. 4( a) is a perspective view showing the configuration of a tape holder; FIG. 4( b) is a side view showing the configuration of the tape holder; FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b) are views illustrating how the tape holder is held in a roll; and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a tape holder.

The tape cutter comprises a support base 3 having a support section 3 a for rotatably supporting a roll 2 of an adhesive tape held on a tape holder 1; a movable body 4 disposed so as to be movable up and down at a position separated from the support section 3 a of the support base 3; and a blade body 5, disposed so as to be opposed to the movable body 4, for cutting the pullout section 2 a of the roll 2 while swinging (moving) in association with the movement of the movable body 4.

The support base 3 has a rising wall 32 standing upright on one side in the longitudinal direction of a bottom wall 31 being in a rectangular shape in plan view and on one side in the width direction thereof, and a guide wall 33 standing upright on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the bottom wall 31. A threaded hole 3 a is provided as a support section in the middle in the height direction of the rising wall 32, and a pivot 6 is removably installed in the threaded hole 3 a. The guide wall 33 has a pair of pillar sections 33 a and 33 a opposed to and separated from each other and a cover section 33 b for covering the sides of the pillar sections 33 a and 33 a such that a hollow accommodation section 34 is formed between the pillar sections 33 a and 33 a. A movable body 4 and a blade body 5 are accommodated in the accommodation section 34 so that the edge 5 a of the blade body 5 is hidden and unexposed. In addition, a pivot 7 and a first engaging section 35 are provided on the lower side of the accommodation section 34. Furthermore, a pair of guide grooves 36 and 36, the longitudinal direction of which is the vertical direction, is provided on the opposed faces of the pillar sections 33 a and 33 a.

The pivot 6 is formed of a screw. The tape holder 1 can be removed from the support section 3 a by loosening the screw.

The movable body 4, being in a rectangular shape in front view, is formed of a plate, and the movement path 4 a of the blade body 5 is provided between the front and rear faces of the plate. The movable body 4 is disposed so as to be linearly movable in the thickness direction of the pullout section 2 a on the adhesive surface side of the pullout section 2 a. At the upper end of the movable body 4, contact sections 4 b making contact with the adhesive surface of the roll 2 are provided. A first associated connection section 4 c formed of a pin is provided on the lower side of the movable body 4. In addition, protrusion sections 4 d fitted in the guide grooves 36 and 36 so as to be linearly movable are provided inside the movable body 4.

The blade body 5 is disposed on one side in the width direction of the pullout section 2 a so that the longitudinal direction of the edge 5 a is the thickness direction of the pullout section 2 a, and the edge 5 a is hidden inside the accommodation section 34. In addition, the blade body 5 is formed of a band plate being in a nearly L-shape. A pivot hole 5 b and a second engaging section 5 c displaced from the pivot hole 5 b are provided on the lower side of the blade body 5. The pivot 7 is fitted in the pivot hole 5 b so that the blade body 5 is supported on the guide wall 33 inside the accommodation section 34. Furthermore, the lower section 5 d of the blade body 5 serves as a second associated connection section Se that makes contact with the first associated connection section 4 c. In association with the linear movement of the movable body 4, the blade body 5 is swung from a position separated from the pullout section 2 a to the pullout section 2 a. Moreover, a finger contact piece 5 f is formed in a bent shape at the upper end of the blade body 5. The blade body 5 can be swung by pushing the finger contact piece 5 f with a finger.

The blade body 5 and the movable body 4 are configured such that the downward movement distance of the movable body 4 is nearly equal to the downward movement distance of the edge 5 a due to the swing of the blade body 5, and such that the distance between one cutting intersection point at which the edge 5 a starts cutting the roll 2 and the other cutting intersection point at which the edge 5 a finishes cutting can be made relatively short so that the length of the edge 5 a can be made short. Ends of a coil spring 8 serving as a biasing spring is engaged with the first and second engaging sections 35 and 5 c. The coil spring 8 biases the blade body 5 to one side in the width direction of the pullout section 2 a, in other words, to the non-cutting side position shown in FIG. 1. The biasing force of the coil spring 8 is applied to the movable body 4 via the second associated connection section Se and the first associated connection section 4 c, thereby biasing the movable body 4 to return it upward.

The roll 2 of the adhesive tape, an annular roll in which cellophane tape or the like is wound around a core ring, is held on the tape holder 1.

The tape holder 1, being in a quadrangular pillar shape, has contact sections 1 a and 1 a to make contact with the inside of the roll 2 at both ends, a pair of retaining protrusions 1 b and 1 b protruding on both sides of the contact sections 1 a and 1 a, and a through hole 1 c at the central section in the longitudinal direction thereof. The tape holder 1 is supported by the pivot 6 that is inserted into the through hole 1 c. In addition, the contact sections 1 a and 1 a are provided at the corner portions on both sides in the width direction, and the end fringes of the retaining protrusions 1 b and 1 b are curved.

Note that, in addition to this configuration in which the through hole 1 c is formed at the central section in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. 6, it may be possible to have a configuration in which a shaft section 1 d is formed at the central section in the longitudinal direction and the shaft section 1 d is rotatably supported at the support section 3 a of the support base 3.

The tape holder configured as described above can hold the roll 2 by holding the roll 2 having an annular shape at two portions around the circumstance thereof by hand, by deforming the roll 2 into a nearly elliptical shape, and by fitting the roll 2 on the contact sections 1 a and 1 a of the tape holder 1.

When the pullout section 2 a of the roll 2 is cut to an appropriate length and used, the pullout section 2 a is held by hand and pulled in the pullout direction outside from the movable body 4, and, in this state, the pullout section 2 a is pulled downward in a direction intersecting the pullout direction. As a result, the movable body 4 is moved downward, and the movement of the movable body 4 is transmitted to the blade body 5 via the first and second associated connection sections 4 c and Se. Hence, the blade body 5 disposed on one side in the width direction of the pullout section 2 a swings around the pivot 7 in the width direction of the pullout section 2 a, and the edge 5 a cuts the pullout section 2 a.

Since the blade body 5 disposed on one side in the width direction of the pullout section 2 a swings and cuts the pullout section 2 a as described above, the cut end of the pullout section 2 a can be made linear and substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the roll, whereby the cut tape is pleasing in appearance. Furthermore, when the tape is removed from the cut end, the tape can be removed easily without being torn.

After the pullout section 2 a is cut, the tension applied to the pullout section 2 a is eliminated, the movable body 4 and the blade body 5 swing in an associated manner in a direction separated from the pullout section 2 a by virtue of the biasing force of the coil spring 8 and automatically return to their non-cutting positions. Hence, the blade body 5 can be hidden in an unexposed position, and safety can be improved.

In the embodiment described above, the movable body 4 is movable up and down, and the blade body 5 is swingable sideways. However, in addition to this configuration, the movable body 4 may be movable sideways, and the blade body 5 may be swingable up and down. Furthermore, in addition to the swingable movement, the blade body 5 may be linearly movable.

Moreover, in the embodiment described above, the screw installed on the rising wall 32 of the support base 3 serves as the pivot 6, and the tape holder 1 is supported by the pivot 6. However, in addition to this configuration, for example, it may be possible to have a configuration in which a support groove is provided in the upper end of the rising wall 32 of the support base 3 and the tape holder 1 having a pivot at its rotation center is inserted in the support groove so as to be supported.

Besides, in the embodiment described above, the tape holder 1 is in a quadrangular pillar shape. However, the tape holder 1 may be in a circular cylinder shape. Furthermore, the tape holder 1 may be in an annular shape having a shaft section at the central section in the longitudinal direction thereof. The configuration of the tape holder 1 is thus not limited particularly.

Further, the first and second associated connection sections 4 c and Se are provided as means for moving the movable body 4 and the blade body 5 in an associated manner. However, the configuration of the means for associated movement is not limited particularly. The means should only be a mechanism in which when the movable body 4 is moved by pulling the pullout section 2 a of the roll 2, the blade body 5 swings (moves) or linearly moves in association with the movement of the movable body 4.

Still further, the biasing spring for biasing the blade body 5 and moving the blade body 5 and the movable body 4 in an associated manner is provided. However, in addition to this configuration, it may be possible to have a configuration having a biasing spring for biasing the movable body 4 and moving the movable body 4 and the blade body 5 in an associated manner. Furthermore, it may be also possible to have a configuration having biasing springs for biasing the blade body 5 and the movable body 4 separately. 

1-6. (canceled) 7: a tape cutter, comprising: a support section for rotatably supporting a roll of an adhesive tape; a blade body for cutting a pullout section of said roll; and a movable body that is movable when an adhesive surface of said pullout section makes contact therewith and said pullout section is pulled in a direction intersecting a pullout direction, wherein said blade body is movable in association with the movement of said movable body. 8: The tape cutter according to claim 7 further comprising a biasing spring for biasing said movable body or said blade body in a direction where said movable body and said blade body return. 9: The tape cutter according to claim 7, wherein said movable body is linearly movable, said blade body is swingably supported, and a position displaced from the center of the swing of said blade body is connected to said movable body. 10: The tape cutter according to claim 7, wherein said movable body is linearly movable in the direction of the thickness of said pullout section on the adhesive surface side of said pullout section, said blade body is disposed on one side in the width direction of said pullout section such that the longitudinal direction of an edge thereof is the thickness direction of said pullout section, one side in the longitudinal direction of said edge is swingably supported, and a position displaced from the center of the swing of said blade body is connected to said movable body so that said blade body swings in association with the retreat/return movement of said movable body from a position separated from said pullout section in a direction making contact with/separating from said pullout section. 11: The tape cutter according to claim 7, further comprising an accommodation section for accommodating said blade body so as to hide said edge of said blade body. 12: A tape holder being fitted inside an annular roll of an adhesive tape, comprising: contact sections disposed at both ends to make contact with the inside of said roll; and a shaft section or a through hole disposed at the central section in the longitudinal direction, wherein said tape holder is in a pillar shape. 